Double Whammy: Lose Job and Become Sicker

A study released earlier this year suggests that losing your job can increase your odds of developing a new stress-related health problem by about 80%.  (read more)

The study also suggests that just the threat of losing your job can do this and that those that keep their job are also at risk.  Oh well…If you’re a fatalist (like Michelle Obama), then you’re pretty much doomed in this economy.  But the reality is that life is stacked against you.  You need to take the bull by the horns and be responsible for your healthcare otherwise you enter that death spiral (literally).  And, being unhealthy will cost you more – medicine, physician visits, life insurance premiums, individual health insurance costs, absenteeism, salary (see below).

“Economists Susan Averett and Sanders Korenman studied the effects of obesity on wages, using a sample consisting of individuals aged 16-24 in 1981 who were 23-31 in 1988. They showed that women who were obese according to their Body Mass Index (BMI) in both 1981 and 1988 earned 17 percent lower wages on average than women within their recommended BMI range.

Women are not the only ones to suffer discrimination based on appearance. While obesity had a slightly negative effect on a man’s earning power, height seems to play a much more significant role in determining a man’s salary, with shorter men getting the “short end of the stick.”

So, one of the important things to do is understand the impact of stress and focus on stress management (see tips).  Regular exercise is a good way to help with this (and helps with your overall health and weight management).

 “Stress can increase blood pressure and heart rate, which can tax the heart.  We’re seeing more people who are putting on weight because they aren’t eating well under stress.”  (Marc Eisenberg, MD, Columbia University)

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